 Welcome
This newsletter compiles the most up-to-date information concerning what EPPs need to know to best support their faculty/instructors, staff, and candidates. Please thoroughly read all the sections for reminders, upcoming events, To Dos, and FAQs.
If you are not currently subscribed to the newsletter, please sign up at the link below.
Educator Preparation Program Listserv Registration
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Description
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Event Date & Time
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ASEP Reporting 2025-2026 Webinar
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The annual ASEP Reporting Webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. CST. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the webinar. We encourage participation from Certification Officers, ASEP reporting staff, and any other EPP personnel involved in collecting, reviewing, or submitting ASEP data. Please feel free to share the registration information with anyone in your EPP who has responsibilities related to ASEP reporting or data management.
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Exam Launch Reminders and Resources
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186 Special Education Specialist EC-12
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165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental
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187 Bilingual Special Education
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Texas Test of Educator Proficiency (T-TEP) (pending SBEC action)
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Updated one pager anticipated Summer 2026
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- Core EC-6
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Core with Fine Arts/Health/PE
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Core with Bilingual Education Spanish
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Core with ESL
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Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management
Reminder: Attestation of Compliance with State Law
Revisions adopted to TAC Chapter 228 [§228.31(e)] require all Texas EPPs to attest to compliance with certain coursework prohibitions and requirements, as statutorily required in TEC §21.0442(b)(3) since July 2025. The rule requires this attestation of compliance by September 1, 2026. TEA will send this attestation document via Qualtrics to all Legal Authorities (or for ESC/District/Charter EPPs, the Primary Point of Contact) on or before July 13, 2026. These individuals should watch their inbox carefully for an email from Qualtrics with “Required Attestations” in the subject line. Reach out to EPPreview@tea.texas.gov with any questions or if you do not receive the email by July 13, 2026.
New: Countdown to ASEP Reporting 2025-2026
To assist EPPs with completing ASEP Reporting with ease, we have developed weekly reminders for those EPP staff working on ASEP Reporting. Each week, you will receive weekly reminders in this Newsletter that include timely tasks that will lead to successful completion of data reporting by September 15, 2026. Please remember that the 2024-2025 Technical Manual published on the Program Provider Resources page on the TEA website is a wonderful “how to” resource for using the various functions needed for reporting in ECOS and contains some useful tips for problem solving, if needed.
Week 1 ASEP Task Reminders 7/13-17/2026:
1. Know your assigned Education Specialist. This is the TEA staff member that you will need to reach out to when you have questions about ASEP Reporting. The EPP Education Specialist Assignments list is published on the Program Provider Resources page under Forms and Documents. Your Education Specialist is one of four staff members:
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Trinity Bankhead
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Rebecca Bunting
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Jennifer Gonzalez
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Lorrie Ayers, Director
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2. Become familiar with the Help Desk, which EPPs should use for all questions related to ASEP Reporting. Your Education Specialist will address your EPP’s questions in the Help Desk. We are in the Help Desk under the Educator Testing and Preparation Programs tile. |
3. Review the 2024-2025 Technical Manual on the Program Provider Resources page. It is located under Forms and Documents. This is a helpful resource as it provides useful information needed to complete ASEP Reporting.
4. Review your ASEP reporting processes from 2024-2025. We recommend that you review internal documents, correspondence with your Education Specialist, and any place where you encountered difficulties. Particularly if your EPP encountered challenges with Observation reporting or was subject to an informal review, we encourage you to review your processes and reach out to your assigned Education Specialist early and proactively seek support.
5. Register for the ASEP Reporting 2025-2026 webinar on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM CST. The webinar will provide useful information and reminders about state reporting processes and tips to improve the reporting experience. Please find the link in the Upcoming Events section above.
Updates related to the PREP Program Allotment
New: Certificate Issuance Timelines
EPPs should update internal policies and procedures to reflect changes to certificate issuance. Educator certificates will no longer be issued automatically and will only be issued after completion of the SEMARC check. SEMARC (Search Engine for Multi-Agency Reportable Conduct) will be integrated with the DNHR (Do Not Hire Registry), with corresponding updates visible to LEAs in the DNHR upload results file.
EPPs should review internal certificate recommendation timelines and candidate communications to account for a potential delay of several days while the background check is completed. If a certificate is not issued after several days, EPPs should direct candidates to contact Educator Fingerprinting at 512-936-8400 (option 3) or through the Fingerprinting Help Desk.
New: Two-Year Intern Certificate
The two-year intern certificate is expected to become available beginning August 2, 2026. To ensure a candidate is issued a two-year intern certificate, the EPP must submit the recommendation after August 2, 2026. The recommendation date (not the certificate effective date) determines whether the certificate is issued as one-year or two-year. If a candidate is recommended prior to August 2, 2026, the candidate will be issued a one-year intern certificate. Once issued, a one-year certificate cannot be changed to a two-year certificate, and there are no retroactive corrections or adjustments to the certificate's validity period after issuance.
Reminder: Partnership Agreement Completion Deadline
Thank you to everyone who worked with your school system partners to complete the partnership agreements required for participation in the PREP Allotment programs. Due to requests from both school systems and EPPs, TEA allowed a draft agreement to be uploaded. However, for funding to be approved for distribution in 2026-2027, fully executed written agreements (MOUs) must be submitted by August 5, 2026. Please be in communication with your school system partners to ensure compliance with this requirement.
DID YOU KNOW?
EPPs offering residency routes may have partnerships with school systems that have chosen to participate in the PREP Allotment, as well as school systems that are not participating in the PREP Allotment. There has been some confusion regarding the Enhanced Standard Certificate earned by residency candidates. If candidates meet the TAC Chapter 228 requirements for residency, they are exempt from the PPR certification exam and are eligible for the Enhanced Standard Certificate. Beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, all candidates seeking an Enhanced Standard Certificate must meet all requirements of the PREP Residency Allotment, including the Content Academy requirements, regardless of the candidate's participation in a paid or unpaid residency placement. If an EPP has a candidate in an unpaid, non-PREP Allotment placement yet meets all the requirements, they are exempt from the PPR certification exam and are eligible for the Enhanced Standard Certificate.
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
New: Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental EC-12 (165) exam Representative Exam and Candidate Practice Test Available Now!
Additional preparation resources for the Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental Exam (TX165) are now available! The Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental Representative Exam became available for purchase on July 1, 2026. Interested stakeholders may contact Pearson at texas.support@pearson.com for information on onboarding and purchasing voucher codes.
Additionally, the candidate practice test became available beginning July 10, 2026, providing candidates with another valuable preparation resource as they prepare for the operational launch of the exam. Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) are encouraged to share the following update with candidates preparing for the new Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental (TX165) exam.
New: Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental EC-12 (165) exam Constructed Response Item Deep Dive Summer 2026
Thank you to the 35 participants who attended the second Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental EC-12 (165) Constructed Response Item Deep Dive webinar on Friday, July 10th! This webinar provided a brief over of current exam development walked participants through the new 165 BESS EC-12 exam constructed response items for Subtest 1 (166) Listening and Speaking in Spanish and Subtest 2 (167) Reading and Writing in Spanish. The deep dive allowed participants the opportunity to review content shifts and discuss the new requirements for candidates as they take the new Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental EC-12 (165). Participants explored the CRIs in groups and were able to gauge their knowledge and share necessary preparation information regarding the new exam and were provided the opportunity to reflect and ask questions via Padlet.
As a reminder, resources for the 165 BESS EC-12 exam, including the framework, framework crosswalk, recording of the framework overview webinar, and exam one-pager, will be accessible on the Educator Testing webpage. The webpage is currently undergoing revisions; once resources are reposted an announcement in the EPP newsletter will be made. The exam preparation manual is available on the Texas Educator Certification Preparation Examination website.
Reminder: 187 Bilingual Special Education EC-12 Exam Framework Now Available
The final framework for the 187 Bilingual Special Education EC-12 exam is now available. The 187 Bilingual Special Education exam is scheduled to launch no earlier than September 2028. More information, including details on aligned capacity building opportunities and program application to offer the aligned educator certificate, will be shared as available.
Updates related to Insight to Impact
New: More Treasure Found on I2I Dashboards
Recently, the Insight to Impact Dashboards Team hosted a training on how to get the most out of the Employment and Retention Dashboard. To ensure that the lesson stuck, the team created a fun, interactive “treasure hunt” for EPP staff to practice finding actionable insights about their respective programs.
By accessing dashboards to locate specific data points, interpreting their meaning, and identifying at least one way to apply the insight to strengthen her EPP, Austin Community College Teacher Certification Program Coordinator of Field-Based Experience Misty Patureau and iteach Data Systems & Reporting Manager Jaime Kearny located their data treasure!
Check out this blog to hear what these two educators appreciate about the I2I Dashboards.
We take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from EPPs.
Q: Who should request TEAL Primary Approver status for my EPP?
A: EPPs should designate an individual who is authorized to manage and approve TEAL access requests on behalf of the organization. This is typically an administrator or other authorized staff member. Without a Primary Approver, staff may experience delays obtaining access to TEA applications and systems. The Primary Approver reviews and approves user access requests, helping ensure that appropriate personnel can perform their job responsibilities. The Primary Approver should be someone who has the authority to verify staff employment and roles, is knowledgeable about who should have access to TEA systems and can respond to requests in a timely manner. Common examples include EPP Directors, Certification Officers, Program Coordinators, and other designated administrative staff. Each EPP should determine who is best positioned to manage access requests for its organization.
Q: Can an EPP have more than one approver in TEAL?
A: Yes. In addition to a Primary Approver, an organization may designate one or more Alternate Approvers to provide coverage when the Primary Approver is unavailable. Both roles can approve user access requests. The Primary Approver serves as the main approver for the organization, while Alternate Approvers provide backup support and can assist when the Primary Approver is unavailable.
Your best source for information and support at the TEA.
As an Educator Preparation Program, your main point of contact is your Education Specialist.
- View a list of EPPs and Education Specialist Assignments.
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For most efficient assistance, please submit a Help Desk ticket to Preparation Programs.
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EPPs may contact their assigned Education Specialist directly via phone or email.
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Candidates may call (512) 936-8400 and select Option #2: Educator Preparation and Certification for assistance.
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Updated: If EPPs (and candidates) would like to speak to a representative from another area(s), they may call (512) 936-8400 and select one of the options listed below.
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Option 2: Educator Preparation and Certification
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Option 3: Fingerprinting
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Option 6: Investigations
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